"It's very often that people are very short-term," he explained. "They want things instantly [snaps], and they want them now.

"My film career really didn't take off until I was in my 30s," he added. "I was primarily a theater actor and I was trying to learn my craft. I looked at the history of movies... Jimmy Stewart, Henry Fonda, Katharine Hepburn - they all spent 10 years or more developing their craft in the theater before they ever made a movie."

As part of the Old Vic New Voices scheme and his own arts foundation, Spacey works to mentor up-and-coming stars in the industry.

"It's very easy in this business, particularly because it is so much about the youth market, to look at your career and think, if I'm 22, 23, or 24 and I haven't made it yet then I'm over-the-hill," he explained.

"In fact, the history of film shows that actors really didn't reach their stride until they were well into their 30s."

"Quite often people get opportunities - and they're just not ready for them," he added. "So I always try to encourage people to take the long view, to take the next 10 years and build your career - because I do believe that you can carve your own luck and fate."